novamade

and we're off!

                                            above: summer spinning

I know that, technically, there are 17 or 18 days left of summer (for those of us north of the equator); but, I think that I am not alone in thinking that fall pretty much starts afterLabor Day (next Monday, the 7th).  For me, a deadline serves as a strong motivating force to get things done.  I do not quake about deadlines, I welcome them (I hope for them, actually).  So with a minute past midnight, the 8th (day after Labor Day) as my deadline, I have a couple of days to finish a couple of things.  Because, quite frankly, I am way more excited about my fall projects than I am about my summer ones that are sort of languishing.

I have been working on a vest all summer, I already know it's not getting done by Monday, so the vest will be my carry over project to the next season (I only work on it during my lunch hour at work, so it's slow going, but I know it'll get done).  It's the one fall project that I am not particularly excited about.

I have had a red silk scarf on my Kromski rigid heddle loom since last October.  The loom got buried underneath some fabric and batting at some point and it was out of my sight, so it went out of my mind.  I am finishing this scarf if I finish nothing else this weekend.

Actually, I am going to spin this roving for Bertha, even if I finish nothing else this weekend.  Sorry, Bertha, when I said I would post this Friday, I really meant that I would post it to you on Tuesday.

I have two quilts that I would like to finish up, one needs binding and the other needs quilting and binding. 

 

Finish two quilts in a weekend? Totally doable.

 

I have been working on a shawl all summer that needs to be finished, because I am sick of working on it.  I don't really like knitting shawls in laceweight yarn, so I am not really sure why I started this.  It's almost done...32 rows, that's nothing.

Of course, I am going to try to finish this stuff while taking the boys to the beach or some other such nonsense (that is what one does over Labor Day weekend, apparently, that and grill things), and generally having long holiday weekend family fun.  And when I am done with all of that, I am going to read some books.

Yes.  I know.

For those in the US, Happy Labor Day!  May your laboring be fruitful.

And you still have time to enter the contest (it's not really a contest, but, there you are)/givewaway if you haven't already done so.

on economy: treatise 3, you get what you pay for

 

There are a ton of gorgeous designer fabrics available for the quilter (or crafter in general) these days.  I am a fan of pretty much anything that Amy Butler and Joel Dewberry come up with.  I like Alexander Henry's prints as well as Michael Miller's, too.  It's fair to say that I have a pretty good handle of the slew of modern fabric print designers out there.  And as you know, I am a stasher.  So I nab bits and pieces of things here and there for consumption later.  But I will share a secret with you, I hoard the designer fabrics in they same way a newbie handspinner will hoard and hold onto his or her first independent dyer's handpainted roving.  You know, afraid to spin it because it's the "good stuff". 

 

For a while, I was afraid to dig into my fabric stash because it was all "the good stuff" and I have never really been that sure of my quilting abilities.  But it recently occurred to be that I have been quilting for ten years, so I actually know more about quilting than I do about anything else I do.  And if I have been quilting for ten years and haven't been using "the good stuff" what have I been using?  Well, I am glad you asked.  Let me tell you...

I have been using fabric from Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft.*  Some of you out there, I am sure, are shaking your heads.  But hear (read) me out.  My mother has never met a piece of fabric she didn't like.  She is a sewer.  My aunt is a professional seamstress and tailor and my mom insists that she taught her everything she knows, I would like to think that my aunt's schooling did that; but, there you are.  In any case, when my mother discovered JoAnn's for the first time, it was a little insane.  I was 5 or 6 at the time and a friend told her she should go see it, so she did...she almost passed out because of the selection.  My mother is a sewer of clothes.  She always has been, she only sews aprons now (why one woman needs 30 aprons, I will never know), but back in the day, my mother was a sewing machine, or rather, an extension of her Singer.

So when I started quilting ten years ago, JoAnn's was pretty much all I knew about fabric.  I never really wanted to sew clothes as a kid, my mom sewed them for me all the time and I didn't care for them (my mom has a thing for ruffles, bows, etc.), she leaned towards sewing dresses and I was a tomboy (does that shock anyone?).  My mom never made quilts,  even today, it would never occur to her to make a quilt. In any case, I started buying fabric from JoAnn's for quilts.  And then one day, I got a Hancock's of Paducah catalog from a friend... I wish I could say it changed my whole crafting world; but, my first thought, at the time, was "why is this stuff so expensive?"

I consider myself to be reasonably intelligent, so I figured there was something about the fabric one purchased from Hancock's or from a quilt shop that made it remarkably different from the fabric one bought at a JoAnn's.  So I ordered a half yard of a print that I liked just to compare (it was the cute fish fabric, I still like it--too bad I can't find anymore of it).

There, obviously, was a difference...but not a huge one in regard to quality.  You know how sometimes you pay for a name or a logo or the brand?  I think that is the case with a lot of the fabric on the market today.  I have seen fabric at quilt shops that surely was not worth$10 a yard... and I make that statement on the weave structure of the fabric, not the print design (which really, is another kettle of fish(!) entirely).

At a quilt show I went to recently, there were these two women, let's call them Linda and Holly (because that's what they called each other, I am going to go out on limb here and guess that they are probably not novamade blog readers).  This was their conversation:

Linda: Holly, did you see that quilt with the browns and reds in the corner?

Holly:  I did, Linda, but it's too bad she used JoAnn's fabrics.  You can tell that the fabrics just aren't up to snuff.

Linda:  Yes, it's too bad.

Really?  Really, Holly?  Because I saw that red and brown quilt too, and I thought it was lovely (sorry, the quilter didn't want photos taken, I like to follow rules).  Folks, there was nothing wrong with that quilt.  The quilter picked good solid cotton fabrics, and quite frankly, she was probably able to afford the long arm machine she used to quilt it because of the money she saved/s on fabric; but, what do I know?

I know, for a fact, that if you use common sense when selecting fabric from JoAnn's or other discount fabric stores, you are going to be able to put together a nice quilt (for less money).  And that quilt will last for a long time.  I made Special K's wedding quilt with fabric from JoAnn's, almost ten years ago. 

It has been washed repeatedly (in the washing machine...and dried in the dryer).  This quilt gets a lot of use, more so now because of Little Sir and his penchant for using it as a cape.  Any irregularity in the quilt now probably has more to do with my quilting ability back then...it was only my second quilt, cut me some slack.

 

I went though my fabric stash recently and pulled out all of the leftover JoAnn's fabrics from projects I have done over the last 10 years.  I ended up giving a ton of it away to some other crafty people I know.  I ended up keeping the stuff most recently purchased for particular projects.  I may not purchase as much fabric for quilting from JoAnn's in the future, mostly because it's not the greatest idea to mix JoAnn's fabric with the designer stuff, as they probably would degrade at different rates, but you have to be careful about that with fabrics from different design houses anyways, in my opinion.

 

I think, and again, this is just me, in this economy, or any economy really, you have to be able to balance your crafty pursuits and your other responsibilities, be they fiscal or otherwise.  I recently bought "designer" quality fabric to make a a queen-sized quilt.  While entering the receipts in our money management gizmo thingy I realized that the amount spent on that fabric and supplies could have fed my family for a month.  I didn't feel guilty about this, as the money was used from money specifically budgeted for my crafting endeavors; but, it certainly puts things in perspective.

 

Before I start working on that pricey quilt (probably with the help of some friends), I still have to figure out how to finish my queen-sized JoAnn's fabric nightmare.  It's a nightmare not because of the quality of the fabric, which is fine, I think some of the prints are cute too; but, seriously?  Thirty-six log cabin blocks?  Gah.

I went to JoAnn's yesterday because the Simplicity patterns were on sale over the weekend (Little Sir wants to be a pirate for Halloween, that's what he settled on after realizing his gnome costume doesn't fit him anymore).  As I paid $1 for the pattern at the register, I concluded that sometimes, it's nice to pay for something on the cheap...because really, who doesn't like a good deal?

* Some of you may have also figured out that you can find a lot (and I mean A LOT) of Alexander Henry and Robert Kaufman prints mixed in with the calicoes at JoAnn's.  Just saying.  If you were not aware of this nugget of info before, Happy Christmas.

making things for myself and others

I know, you are bowled over, are you not?  Three posts in one week.  Sometimes I even impress myself.  Or, I am simply trying to make-up for bad blogging behavior in the past and also for my absence next week while I am vacationing with the family on a beach somewhere in California (with a day trip to Legoland thrown in for giggles and grins).  Before I take off, I wanted to share with you some crafty goodness from my sewing machine.  The first thing, hankies:

I made some for Special K for Christmas, but he mentioned that they are "a little small."  I followed the directions from the Purlsoho folks to the tee (until they told me to roll and handstitch the edges...um, no.  This is whyfor I have a sewing machine, yo.), so maybe they really meant for the hankies to be pocket squares?  I am now given to understand that people, mostly men, who actually use handkerchiefs appreciate a little more fabric.  And, really, if there is any thing I have, it's fabric (and wool and yarn, etcetera).  So I made K some more handkerchiefs for Father's Day; but, I supersized them.  The theme was "nautical," obviously.  I cut these to 15 inches square.  Not that much bigger; but, it seemed like a lot more fabric to me.  He likes them, and I know he'll use them.  I am not sure why he likes hankies so much.  It's not because of their eco-friendliness...maybe he just likes the fabric.  I don't know.

I also made some DPN cases.  I started off using Ashley's snazzy pattern; and then with the one I made for myself (the one on the left), I did some tweaking.   I have a lot of DPNs, so I needed more pockets.  Lots of pockets.  I have been meaning to organize my knitting tools for a while now, and I never got around to it.  But digging around for the DPNs forced me to organize and clean, so this project was wholly productive.  The second case if for my friend Amy whose birthday was last week.  Better late than never, right?

I used fabric that I had in the stash.  I am on a "use what you have" jag at he moment, because I simply have too much.  I said it...I have too much.  But I will talk more about that when I get back from vacation.  In the meantime, look at the DPN cases, fun, no?

  

Have a good weekend and a good week everyone!

belated birthday quilt

 

Is it just me or do other people think they posted a post when they really didn't?  Maybe it's just me.  For the last week or two, I thought I told you about this quilt.  Clearly, I have not.  Let's ameliorate, shall we?

 

So two years ago I went to Hawaii, it was fabulous, see for yourself.  While there I purchased some Hawaiian print fabrics, because I figured that's what one who is crafty should do.  Shortly after returning home, Little Sir switched to a toddler bed because he could climb out of his crib at 15 months old (awesome.), so naturally I thought a quilt for my kid was in order. 

So I washed the fabric. A few months later, I drew up a quick design (but I could have put them together in any way, there is a lot of crazy going on with those prints).  A few months after that I cut out the fabric.  And then, a week before Sir's second birthday, I thought, "oh, I will finish that quilt!"  And I worked so hard to get it done, but after basting it, I lost steam.  And then the quilt sat in the basement for almost a year taunting me with its uncompletion.  Even Little Sir would say things like, "that's my quilt that mommy didn't finish, right?"

 

So for his third birthday, I was determined to finish the quilt.  I quilted it with 30 degree parallel lines (with 2 inches between) running one way.  I originally thought about quilting in the opposite direction to form quilted diamonds; but, that would have tacked on months to the process, because really, that is sort of how a roll (if you haven't caught on to that yet).  After getting some great advice from Diana, Caro and Ashley (great advice=telling me what I want to hear),  I called the quilting sufficient.  The quilting is most discernible on the back (which I think I like better, actually) in the solid sections.

  

After taking all the pins out and the painter's tape off however, I didn't feel like doing the binding, and I had to sleep.  I finished quilting the quilt at 3 in the morning on the kid's third birthday.  After a week or two of hemming and hawing I figured it was time to get it done.  You see, I couldn't justify working on another quilt till this one was done.  And really, all I had to do was the binding. 

I once hated doing the binding on quilts, but now, I think it's the easiest part.  Unlike most quilters who lovingly hand sew the binding to the quilt back, I take the extra time to iron, tuck and pin my binding to the back of my quilt and machine sew like it's my job.  I don't have the patience for the hand sewing bit, and this quilt is for a boy and will get washed a ton, so that's my rationalizing.

I am so glad I finished this quilt.  Not just because, well, yay, I'm done; but, Little Sir LOVES his new quilt. 

He promptly followed his thanks with a request to "make [him] another quilt; but, one that matches [his] little brother's."  People, I have not made a quilt for Little Mister to be matched, so Sir has, in effect, asked for me to make two quilts.  Stellar.  Hilarious is Little Sir's middle name.

I think it is worth noting that Little Sir acted as creative director for this entire quilt photo shoot of ours.  With the exception of the shots that I caught with the two of us, he pretty much told me how he wanted the pictures taken and came and looked at the camera to give approval. 

Is it wrong that my kid's knack for framing and composition impresses me more than his ability to say please and thank you?

resolved to stitch

 

So I need to catch things up here, what else is new?  Over the holidays I did a goodly amount of sewing, because knitting sweaters for everyone just wasn't going  to happen. 

 

I sewed some artsy clutches to pop a few giftcards in.   I bent the rules by mixing linen and cotton prints.  I liked the way they turned out.

 

I sewed some handkerchiefs for Special K, because he likes them (I know it is sort of old manish--and a wee bit gross, but he likes them, so there you are).  I started with the directions from the Purl  Bee hand-rolled hankies tutorial, but handsewing five 12 inch rectangles seemed unlikely the day before Christmas--last minute, that's how I roll.

 

And lastly, I sewed a bunch of boxbags seven total (I will put them all up in the gallery), thank you fo the tutorial (again) Kelly!.  The whole exercise of sewing all these goods made me realize that I sort of love to sew!  So, I resolved to stitch more in the new year. 

I am not usually big on resolutions, but I am big on lists.  This year, I decided to put all the things I would like to accomplish in a book (and then I could cross them off!).  There is a lot of specific craft "to-dos" listed, actually.   

In any case, while doing my To-Do Book, I got really excited about the whole process of thinking of things I would like to do this year and how to go about doing it.  And I am insisting that these are not New Year's resolutions, as I see those as failures waiting to happen. 

So, in the spirit of new beginnings (and since I haven't had a contest in a while), what is a goal you have set for yourself this year?  Share a goal!  Some lucky reader will get a cute (she says humbly) lined box bag, constructed of Alexander Henry Bubble Dot print and cotton twill with a skein (or a pair of socks worth) of yarn--I will discuss selection of the yarn with the winner. 

How about we make the deadline for the "contest" Friday, January 30th at 11:59 p.m. EST. Winner will be chosen randomly and posted on the 31st.  How's that? 

I will put the specs on the projects in the gallery for anyone interested, and when I come back I will tell you about the knits I finished 2008 with.  Oh, Happy New Year!

have gnome, will travel; and, eat pie

So it's Halloween.  Boo.  Special K and I aren't usually celebrators of said day of ghoulish extravagance; but, when you have a kid who actually "gets" it, you really don't have much of a choice, do you?

My kid wanted to be the Travelocity Roaming Gnome for Halloween (thank you Travelocity and your incessant advertising during the Amazing Race--what, you don't consider The Amazing Race "educational TV?!"  Hello?  Travel and culture!  And the snarky banter of dysfuntional couples, I mean there is so much to learn!).  So because I decided to be Supermom this week, that's what he dressed up has for Halloween.  Sort of, he had no interest in wearing the belt (the belt that took an hour of my precious crafting time, but there you are).  I will put the details for the costumery in the gallery, but most of my trials and tribulations are going to be covered in this post, for those who are interested in such things.

The gnome hat was the easiest thing.  1) Measure head circumference (in this case, 21 inches--yes, he's got a big noggin).  Take red (or any color you like, but I needed to use red) felt sew a 2 inch hem for the base of the hat (it gives it that "finished" look), 3) measure off the head circumference at that base and add whatever you like for a seam allowance (I did an inch extra for a half inch seam allowance, do whatever makes you happy). 4) Decide how tall you want the hat (I opted to use the head circumference as my guide, it came out pretty tall, again do what makes you happy).  5) Center your height measurement from the base and draw a triangle.  6) Cut and sew, 7)  turn hat inside out. 8) Smile, with tons of self-satisfaction because you just made an uber cute gnome hat.

The jacket, was not as easy.  Granted, this jacket was the first article of clothing I have ever sewn.  Clearly, I was not thinking rationally when I decided that this would be a good project to cut my teeth on garment sewing.  I mean really, collars, facings, buttonholes?  Oh, and pattern modification because the pattern was for a short-sleeved shirt and not a jacket...right.

I modified a child's camouflage shirt pattern for the jacket because it had the length and basic look (style, not the fabric itself) that I was going for (I liked the collars...before I started sewing the jacket).  I figured the sleeves could just be lengthened.  And really a jacket is just a collared shirt made of heavier fabric with a lot more ease.....right?  It seemed to work out okay, but don't look to closely at the collar, it is, as the kids like to say these days, jacked up.  I had no idea what I was doing, the step-by-step directions may have skipped a few steps so I just sort of made things up as I went along.  And seriously, I need a foot attachment to make buttonholes, because the three buttonholes in this jacket almost made me gouge my own eyes out (thank you Christina for helping me decipher the directions in the big book of sewing).

The boots were some funny green rain boots purchased at the local target that I covered with black electrical tape.  Little Sir thought the eyes were weird, so he wouldn't wear them before.

There was a belt too.  A cardboard buckle painted metallic silver with black felt cut to size.  Little Sir had very strong feelings about the belt.  Namely, he wasn't having it.  Take a look for yourself.  This look of mortification is the same look I sometimes get when asking for a hug now (usually accompanying the statment, "no mommy, you are too big."  Lovely).

 

In the midst of the Halloween madness I made a pie, because, you know, Pushing Daisies was on on Wednesday night...and that is what I do...make pie while watching said show.  Chocolate Mousse Pie. 

 

This chocolate awesomeness was a really easy recipe (a lot of dirty dishes though).  I didn't feel like messing about with a spring foam pan (who is lazy and pregnant?!) and just used a large tart pan with a removable bottom (a method I would recommend to you, should you decide to make this easy and tasty pie/tart treat).  The side benefit is a few ramekins of chocolate mousse to enjoy later.

And then I made festive cupcakes. I guess my anti-Halloween days are over.  Maybe next year I will make myself a costume.  Because, you know, I am all about the garment sewing now.

the least functional quilt ever

A while ago, I signed up for a quilt swap (of course I waited till the last minute to make the quilt, but this is how I do my best work.  If you only have a minute, it only takes a minute...right?).  I liked the parameters for the swap, there weren't any, really; but, it was suggested that we try a new technique.  I decided to try my hand at free motion quilting since I have never done it before and it scared me.  Seriously, the idea of it made me nervous to get close to my sewing machine.  Sometimes, I can be stupid.

Look at all the happy yellow free motion quiltling.  I don't know what I was so afraid of, it wasn't really that difficult; and, it was fun.  Maybe I will try something bigger next time.  Maybe.

I hope my swap partner likes it.  I seriously hated to send it away. More details in the gallery. 

ketchup and caramel

Hey, Little Tomato, ketchup!  Actually, catch up.  I was going through some pictures and realized that I never posted pictures of a quilt I finished last month.

I made this quilt for a special little guy named Dru.  I was sending a quilt for his new little brother, Marley, and I didn't want him to be left out.

Also, the quilt that I originally started for Dru before he was born two years ago crawled under a rock in my basement (aka "craftland" or my "studio", you pick) and died.  Seriously. I lost it.  A whole quilt waiting for binding.   But that is okay, I like this one better (with the exception of the center strip that taunts me with its imperfections even now).  I'll put further information in the gallery, should you be so inclined to know it.

The perfect quilt for a lil' cowpoke (which just seems so much funnier to say--and type-- than cowboy).  Little Sir helped pick out the Robert Kauffman prints, which were floating around in a local Jo-Ann's for whatever reason.  I like the bright vibrant colors of this quilt.  They are fun.

You know what else is fun?  Caramel (I know, terrible segue).

Today/tonight (details), I made you a Carmelized Nut Tart.  This is a great tart/pie.  You probably have everything you need for this tasty treat in your cabinets.  You can sub in any sort of combination of nuts and it tastes amazing (probably because of the caramel).  I also made the crust called for in the recipe which provides the most unexpected and tantalizing dose of cinnamon to which compliments the earthiness of the nuts and the sweetness of the caramel perfectly.  Sublime.  And easy; actually, quite easy.

making things for others

It's what I do.  It brings me joy, yadda yadda... I am back from vacation... Hey, look at this!

I made this apron a while ago, but since I am trotting out all of my productivity for this wee parade of sorts (to divert your attention from other projects, ahem), I thought I'd share it. 

Little Sir impressed me by saying "ceviche" while watching the Food Network (in our house, this is considered "educational television viewing") and asked why the cook wasn't wearing an apron.  "Because he's Rocco DiSpirito," wasn't really an acceptable answer, in hindsight, I realize this.  And since my kid isn't Rocco (yet), I figured he needed an apron.  So I made one. 

I have already mentioned that my sewing is pretty mediocre.  I am also one who tends to like guidance (i.e. directions, patterns, templates, something); but, I figured it was an apron, how hard could it be?  DIY-time! I took a look at my apron and cut some upholstery fabric samples I picked up 5 years ago for no reason other than they were in the sale bin (I was less discriminating back then).  It's not perfect, but it's an apron, the point is to keep the kid's pajamas clean.

Because Little Sir is totally my sous chef.  I mean really, have you ever seen anyone handle an egg so chef-tastically?  I think not.

He helped me make today's pie, a Fresh Orange Tart with Hazlenut Crust a la Greenspan via epicurious.com. 

I We made today's Piehole Wednesday contribution for my friend M whose husband is going to Iraq on a photojournalism assignment.  She needed cheering.  The pies, they bring cheer, especially this one.  It's a good one...but it's a little, shall we say, involved.

Luckily, I had help.

There is no heat involved here, don't get your panties in a twist.

And that is how I get all the baking done.  Secret's out.

welcome to the world, here's some pie

One of my oldest friends (perhaps the first I can remember having) had a baby recently (our parents grew up together in Florida--the dads-- and Korea--the moms-- and we lived across the street from each other when we were kids, she is kind of like my big sister, actually).  The baby is cute.  Cute babies deserve cute quilts (though I have made some quilts for some ugly babies too, so I guess cuteness isn't really a prerequisite for quilt making for me).  I am not sure if there is anyone else in Angie's life who feels the same way I do about the babies and the quilts, so I thought I should probably make sure Marley (that is said cute kid's name, how cute is that!) had a quilt to soil in creative ways love.  (Also, it was a great way to avoid weaving ends. And no, Minty, I am still not done.  That is how pathetic I am.)

I am not trying to kid myself or anyone else, my sewing skills are craptastic rudimentary, at best.  I need more practice to achieve the awesomeness adequate results that I can produce from knitting; but, honestly, I don't think I have it in me to knit a baby blanket.  I have crocheted them (though I really know very little about crochet); but knitting a blanket is like knitting a really wide and short scarf to me.  I hate knitting scarves. 

Anyway, this quilt...  I did a re ally good job piecing this quilt (if I do say so myself, and I do) and the layout is pretty cute--nothing like a charm quilt to emphasize fun creative fabric that one stumbles upon in Jo-Ann's.  Binding quilts make me nervous, but I think I did okay with that. 

I used Joelle Hoverson's method of machine binding because she is a genius (and also Marley had already entered the world at this point, so my deadline had come and gone so the binding needed doing lickety-quick-like). 

My problem is always the quilting.  I basted this thing like crazy; but, maybe I need to switch to basting without all the pins.  Also, I suppose it is a good idea to know how you are going to quilt the quilt before you baste.  I kind of made it up as I went un-clipping safety pins along the way.  Very inefficient (and just a little stupid) and, it didn't produce quite the finished look I was going for, but it is quilted.  It has also been packed, shipped and received.  Welcome to the world Marley. 

I hope you enjoy your quilt, because you certainly can not enjoy the pie I made for this week's cyber consumption.

It is a simple pear pie.

The filling is quartered pears with sugar, cinnamon and a squeeze of lemon.  It was supposed to have a walnut pastry crust; but, I left out the walnuts. 

It was still pretty good though.

I left out the walnuts because I got distracted.  I was working on Marley's quilt.  You know, priorities.